General Election - open letter from Haringey migrant/refugee organisations

As Haringey-based voluntary and community organisations working with and for refugees and migrants, we are very concerned that after 8^th June a new Government may seek to water down current commitments on refugee resettlement. We are also worried about the wider implications of Brexit for refugees and migrants in Haringey.

In November 2016 Haringey Council committed to resettle ten Syrian families through the Government scheme. The first of these families is due to arrive on 7^th June - the day before the election. If resettlement commitments are not honoured by the next Government, the scheme will end, and we have therefore contacted candidates in both Hornsey & Wood Green and Tottenham constituencies asking them to commit to the following pledges:

• Keep the present Government’s pledge to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees and 3,000 vulnerable children by 2020
• Extend the current 20,000 pledge by another 8,000 for the life of the new Parliament (an additional 4,000 refugees per year to 2022)
• Re-establish the Dubs’ Amendment to help lone child refugees in Europe
• Improve living conditions for asylum seekers and waiting times for asylum applications
• End indefinite detention and secret deportation of migrants and refugees

Kind regards,

Gloria Saffrey, Director, CARIS

Pauline Hawkes, Director, Phoenix Community Care

Rose Bernstein, Lucy Nabijou, Co-ordinators, Refugees Welcome Haringey

Sona Mahtani, Chief Executive, Selby Trust